McDonald’s Coffee is Back in Court
The newest generation gets to add McDonald’s hot coffee jokes to their repertoire just like those of us in the...earlier generations did.
The Hot Coffee Lawsuit of 1992 seemed to usher in the era of the frivolous lawsuit, though that case specifically wasn’t so frivolous. The hot coffee spilling in 79-year-old Stella Liebeck’s lap caused her third-degree burns, McDonald’s had already received over 700 complaints of the coffee being too hot, and the woman sued for $800 to cover the costs of skin grafts due to the burns.
The original hot coffee case resulted in a 79-year-old woman receiving an eight-day hospital stay, skin grafts, and two years of treatment, which ended up costing over $20,000.
Enter the new lawsuit: Mabel Childress, 85, spilled coffee in her lap that she’d purchased from McDonald’s drive-thru in June. The burns caused first-degree burns; the superficial kind. Childeress’s attorney is arguing negligence, as Childress said the lid wasn’t properly secured.
Childress also said she sought help from McDonald’s employees after the burn and was ignored–her attorney also tacked on negligent infliction of emotional distress to the case–though the San Francisco franchise owner denies any negligence, either in operation or aid.
Childress did go to the hospital for treatment, though she was not admitted.
While we await this case, here are some other entertaining lawsuits.
Five Frivolous Lawsuits
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